25-175

EP.175 [The Subtle Gaze of Elf Priscilla Toward Eugene Schneider.] 

"Honestly, I didn't think the party would come together this quickly." 

Two days later, 

The Drake Special Quest Team began its final meeting with the Red Fox delegation. As Victoria said, the Drake Subjugation Party had been formed. Of course, the official formation still required paperwork to be approved and formal authorization, but the likelihood of rejection was almost zero, so this meeting was essentially a de facto declaration. 

"In many ways, the Red Fox Mercenary Band deserves much of the credit. Anna Parisienne is not someone easily convinced, but the fact that she made her decision in just three days shows how much trust she had in you all." 

The most crucial reason was that Anna Parisienne herself had made it clear. She was, after all, one of the heads of the upper-level project within the Drake Special Quest Team. Since the target was an outlier monster, the mage's authority was naturally the strongest. Also, Victoria knew Anna was the youngest daughter of Antoine de Sel Oblaing, the head who grants approval, so it would be stranger if it were rejected. 

"Thank you for saying so. I was worried we were just being treated too well." 

"Not at all, Captain Eugene. Just having you confirm things about the drake resolved more than all the support you received while staying here. The budget just for that research would have been above average." 

Eugene Schneider responded with humility to the claim that the Red Fox Mercenary Band was the main reason the party was formed. Victoria, in a calm tone, emphasized that her words were pure fact. Normally, they would have had to go back and forth to the site several more times for investigations, which all costs money and time. Even then, there was no guarantee of good information, but thanks to Priscilla from the Red Fox Mercenary Band, not only did they get the truth, but they saved the Empire's coffers as well. 

"I wish I could have talked more with Parisienne, but she's already left. It's a shame..." 

Marie looked at Anna Parisienne's now-empty seat with regret. Anna had left the day before. She had actually stayed one day longer than the originally promised four days, but for Marie, who felt she'd really connected with a mage for the first time in her life, it was still disappointing. 

"But since Parisienne is now part of the party, you'll see her again. So don't feel too sad." 

Victoria responded to Marie's words as well. Despite her calm expression, she was quite attentive. Unlike her image, Victoria was more flexible than strict, and she was genuinely grateful to the Red Fox Mercenary Band for delivering such good results without any power struggles. 

"You said you had something to say to me?" 

The next day, the Red Fox Mercenary Band prepared to leave for Pangaea. Before departing, Eugene requested a private conversation with Victoria, who was doing her morning training. 

"Actually, I meant to say this yesterday, but I got caught up with preparations for departure and forgot." 

After the final formal meeting the day before, Victoria's side had given the Red Fox Mercenary Band a rough roadmap for the party's formation. Normally, Jeanne, Thomas, and Ivan would have reviewed it in advance, but as the acting leader, Eugene had gone over it with Thomas that evening and delivered their initial requests. Having had such a busy afternoon, Eugene had simply forgotten to say what he intended. 

"I see. Please, go ahead." 

Ssshhh... 

Victoria answered as she sheathed her sword. 

"It's about our Red Fox Mercenary Band leader, Jeanne d'Arc Oblien..." 

With the stage set, Eugene began to speak. He was about to talk about Jeanne. Having ultimately judged Victoria to be a very good person, Eugene was following his original plan to reveal Jeanne's true identity before leaving. 

"Are you about to say that Jeanne d'Arc de Sel Oblaing, that is, the second daughter of the Oblaing ducal family, is your leader, Captain Eugene?" 

But Victoria revealed Jeanne's identity before Eugene could say it. 

'Huh...????' 

Naturally, Eugene Schneider's eyes widened in surprise. 

'How did Victoria know that right away???' 

Eugene's mind quickly became complicated. 

'Could it be...?' 

His intuition kicked in first. 

"And you, Captain Eugene Caesar, are the adopted son of the Oblaing ducal family, Eugene de Sel Oblaing. In other words, you're the older brother of Lady Elizabeth de Sel Oblaing, who used the alias Anna Parisienne." 

Victoria once again exposed Eugene Schneider's identity before he could. 

'So she figured out who I was first?' 

Eugene's intuition told him that Victoria's side had identified him first, and from that, deduced that Jeanne Oblien was actually Jeanne de Sel Oblaing. There was no other possible route. And so it was. 

"A mercenary from Pangaea named Eugene... When I heard your name on the first day, I had a feeling. On my side, I had already heard a description of the Oblaing family's adopted son from someone who attended a charity event at their villa three months ago." 

Victoria explained, without hesitation, how she had figured out Eugene Schneider's identity. She knew his appearance, not because she had tried hard to find out, but because Eugene's looks were so distinctive that someone at the party had given a vivid account. When she heard the name Eugene from Pangaea, she felt a sense of déjà vu. Then, after watching Elizabeth's strange behavior for four days, she became certain. 

"Haha... I see..." 

In other words, Victoria had known all along but never let on. Eugene had felt from their first meeting that she was no ordinary woman, and now his expression showed it even more strongly. 

"Everyone has their own circumstances, so I didn't think it was my place to ask first. The Red Fox Mercenary Band was doing fine, so I thought you'd tell me when the time was right, and I guess that time is now." 

While she had immediately reacted to Eugene's Sword Expert status, Victoria was cool about his background and identity. She didn't think it was urgent for her work. Her own family had been through a lot, and before entering the academy she had lived a wandering life, which influenced her attitude. 

"I suppose you brought this up because you wanted to protect Jeanne d'Arc de Sel Oblaing's privacy, Captain Eugene?" 

"Hmm... That's right. Just as she uses the name Jeanne Oblien, the second daughter of the ducal family simply wants to build her career as a mercenary." 

"I see. Then don't worry. I will thoroughly protect Lady Jeanne d'Arc de Sel Oblaing's privacy. Now that we're party members, that's even more important." 

Though it was a bit surprising, Victoria's cool attitude actually made things go smoothly for Eugene. He was even able to perfectly complete the secret mission Jeanne had given him. 

"Everyone, great job!!" 

After Victoria's team saw them off, the Red Fox Mercenary Band left the Imperial Knights' arena. As they left the gates of the capital Helios and headed for Pangaea, Eugene congratulated his companions on their hard work. 

"Captain Eugene, you did great too!" 

"Good job, Captain!" 

Thanks to the Imperial Knights' support, Thomas and Marie, feeling good in their upgraded carriage, responded with big smiles. 

"Priscilla, you did great too. I think your role was especially important. The Imperial Knights' attitude changed drastically after your analysis of the drake data." 

Eugene also offered words of thanks to Priscilla, who was sitting coolly in the back of the carriage. In reality, she had been very busy even after the first day, continuing to volunteer her talents analyzing the drake data. 

"It wasn't hard. Sluuurp...! Sluuurp...!" 

Priscilla sipped her fruit juice with a king-like attitude, gazing out the window. 

'I really thought it would be tough to get Priscilla to cooperate, but she was so helpful.' 

Smile...! 

Despite her "kingly" attitude, Eugene smiled at her with genuine satisfaction. 

Elves are known to be a difficult race. The Imperial Knights knew this well. To get additional cooperation from Priscilla, they had worried a lot about how to win her over. That's why they asked Eugene, as the team leader, for help. Even though he trusted his teammates, getting Priscilla to act was a big burden for Eugene. But Priscilla, contrary to expectations, was very cool about it, even volunteering. 

Sss... 

Perhaps feeling Eugene's gaze, Priscilla, who had been looking out the window, finally turned to look at him. 

"What are you staring at?" 

Priscilla pointedly called him out. 

"Ah, I just kept looking over while thinking about various things. I guess it's because I was acting as the team leader for this mission, even if only temporarily." 

Eugene answered a bit awkwardly. 

"Hmm, you did really well, Eugene. Honestly, I thought you'd be more flustered." 

Priscilla, who seemed ready to dismiss him, instead praised Eugene Schneider. 

"Haha! Really? That makes me feel great, getting a compliment from you, Priscilla!" 

"What did you think of me before, anyway?" 

"Well, I thought of you as a difficult elf, of course. Hahaha!" 

"You..." 

Eugene joked back immediately. After leading the quest, he definitely felt a stronger bond with his teammates. 

"....." 

Priscilla silently watched Eugene laughing heartily as he teased her. 

'He really did work hard.' 

She offered a silent, additional evaluation before turning her gaze back to the scenery outside the carriage. 

"What????" 

After returning, Eugene gave a general report to the other Red Fox Mercenary Band officers at the debriefing. Then he began a private conversation with Jeanne. 

Jeanne's eyes widened at the information Eugene shared. 

"Yeah. Elizabeth is joining the Drake quest. I even met her at the Imperial Knights' arena." 

The news Eugene gave Jeanne was that Elizabeth had joined the quest party.